Mikael Salomon

Danish cinematographer and director

Mikael Salomon

Born|  (1945-02-24) 24 February 1945 (age 79)

Copenhagen, Denmark

Nationality| Danish
Occupation(s)| Cinematographer
television director
television producer
film director
Years active| 1963–present
Organization(s)| Directors Guild of America
American Society of Cinematographers
Awards| Primetime Emmy Award
Christopher Award
Bodil Awards
Robert Award

Mikael Salomon (born 24 February 1945) is a Danish cinematographer,[1] director and producer[2] of film and television. After a long cinematography career in Danish cinema, he transitioned to the Hollywood film industry in the late 1980s,[3][4][5] earning two Academy Award nominations.[6] He is also a television director whose credits include dozens of series, films and miniseries including Band of Brothers, Salem's Lot, Rome, and The Andromeda Strain. His awards and nominations include a Primetime Emmy Award and a Directors Guild of America Award.

## Life and career

[edit]

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Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, Salomon photographed dozens of films in his native country, earning awards including the Robert Award and Bodil Awards. In the late 1980s, he relocated to Hollywood and shot his first mainstream American film with Torch Song Trilogy, a 1988 comedy-drama starring Harvey Fierstein, Anne Bancroft, and Matthew Broderick. The following year, he shot the James Cameron-helmed science fiction film The Abyss, a film that helped to pioneer the field of computer-generated visual effects.[7][8][9] Salomon used three cameras in watertight housings that were specially designed.[10] Another special housing was designed for scenes that went from above-water dialogue to below-water dialogue. The filmmakers had to figure out how to keep the water clear enough to shoot and dark enough to look realistic at 2,000 feet (700 m), which was achieved by floating a thick layer of plastic beads in the water and covering the top of the tank with an enormous tarpaulin.[10] His work on the film earned Salomon a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography.

In the following years, Salomon shot several blockbuster films like Always, Backdraft, and Far and Away, collaborating with directors like Steven Spielberg and Ron Howard.

In 1993, Salomon directed A Far Off Place, an adventure drama film filmed on location in Namibia and Zimbabwe, replacing original director René Manzor after being recommended to producer Kathleen Kennedy by Steven Spielberg. That same year, he directed an episode of the short-lived science fiction series Space Rangers, beginning a career as a television director. In 1998, he directed the Emmy-nominated Aftershock: Earthquake in New York, the first in many television miniseries which Salomon would helm. The most notable of these was Band of Brothers, a 10-part series executive produced by Spielberg for which Salomon won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special and a Christopher Award.

Since then, Salomon has over thirty-five programs, including the miniseries adaptations of The Andromeda Strain and Coma broadcast on the A&E Network.

## Personal life

[edit]

Salomon is of Jewish descent on one parent's side.[11]

## Filmography

[edit]

### Cinematographer

[edit]

#### Film

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Director  | Notes

|
|
|

1966  | Søskende | Johan Jacobsen | With Rolf Rønne
1967  | Fantasterne | Kirsten Stenbæk  |
Brødrene på Uglegaarden | Ib Mossin
Alice O'Fredericks |
Me and My Kid Brother | Lau Lauritzen Jr. |
1968  | Det er så synd for farmand | Ebbe Langberg |
Magic in Town | Annelise Reenberg |
1969  | Sonja - 16 år | Hans Abramson
Brandon Chase  |
De 5 og spionerne | Katrine Hedman  |
1970  | Five Get into Trouble |
Daddy, Darling | Joseph W. Sarno |
Threesome | Brandon Chase  |
Tintomara | Hans Abramson  |
1971  | Welcome to the Club | Walter Shenson |
Kid Gang on the Go | Annelise Reenberg |
1972  | Rektor på sengekanten | John Hilbard  |
Motorvej på sengekanten | With Aage Wiltrup
1974  | Jorden runt med Fanny Hill | Mac Ahlberg |
1975  | Violer er blå | Peter Refn  |
Kun sandheden | Henning Ørnbak  |
1976  | Hjerter er trumf | Lars Brydesen  |
Strømer | Anders Refn |
Elvis! Elvis! | Kay Pollak |
1977  | Mind Your Back, Professor | Jens Okking |
Skytten | Franz Ernst
Tom Hedegaard  |
Bedside Freeway | Boerge Hilbarth  |
1978  | The Heritage | Anders Refn  |
1981  | Tell It Like It Is, Boys | Peter Curran |
1985  | De flyvende djævle | Anders Refn  |
1986  | The Wolf at the Door | Henning Carlsen |
Early Spring | Astrid Henning-Jensen |
1987  | Peter von Scholten | Palle Kjærulff-Schmidt |
1988  | Zelly and Me | Tina Rathborne |
Stealing Heaven | Clive Donner |
Torch Song Trilogy | Paul Bogart |
1989  | The Abyss | James Cameron |
Always | Steven Spielberg |
1990  | Arachnophobia | Frank Marshall |
1991  | Backdraft | Ron Howard |
1992  | Far and Away |

Short film

Year  | Title  | Director

|
|

1966  | Om ti minutter | Hans Engberg
1967  | De forsvundne breve | Annelise Hovmand
1969  | Frk. Julie 1970 | Kirsten Stenbæk

#### Documentary works

[edit]

Film

Year  | Title  | Director  | Notes

|
|
|

1963  | Hurra for os | Hagen Hasselbalch  | With Dirk Brüel and Henrik Heger
1967  | Prinsesse Margrethes bryllup | Ole Roos  | With Arne Abrahamsen, Morten Find, Rolf Rønne and Erik Wittrup Willumsen
1971  | Hvorfor gør de det? | Eberhard Kronhausen
Phyllis Kronhausen |
Et døgn med Ilse | Annelise Hovmand |
1979  | At danse Bournonville | Jørgen Leth | With Dan Holmberg, Peter Klitgaard and Jan Weincke
Kalule | With Peter Roos

Short film

Year  | Title  | Director  | Notes

|
|
|

1967  | Capriccio | Ole Askman  |
1972  | Kinesisk bordtennis | Jørgen Leth | With Henning Camre
1979  | Med Danmarks regentpar i Kina | Carl Otto Petersen  |

#### Television

[edit]

TV movies

Year  | Title  | Director

|
|

1968  | Expo 68 | Annett Wolf Sr.
1975  | Stumpen | Ingvar Skogsberg
1976  | På flykt undan mina landsmän | Hans Dahlin
Det begyndte med Mathilde | Hans Engberg
1987  | The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains | Daniel Mann

Miniseries

Year  | Title  | Director  | Notes

|
|
|

1974  | De tre från Haparanda | Ulf Andrée  |
1987  | Een gang strømer... | Anders Refn | Episode "1. del"

### Director

[edit]

Film

* A Far Off Place (1993)
* Hard Rain (1998)
* Freezer (2014) (Direct-to-video)
* Instrument of Hope (2020) (Documentary short)

#### TV series

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Episode(s)  | Notes

|
|
|

1993  | Space Rangers | "Fort Hope"  |
1998  | Nash Bridges | "The Tourist"  |
2000  | The Fugitive | "Pilot"  |
"The Hand of a Stranger"  |
2001  | Alias | "Parity"  |
The Agency | "Pilot"  |
"Deadline"  |
2005  | Over There | "I Want My Toilets"  |
Rome | "The Stolen Eagle" | Uncredited
"An Owl in a Thornbush"
"The Spoils"  |
2006 | Nightmares & Dreamscapes | "The End of the Whole Mess"  |
"Autopsy Room Four"  |
Runaway | "Pilot"  | Also co-executive producer
2009  | Hawthorne | "Pilot"  | Also executive producer
2010  | Unnatural History | "Pilot"
"Thor's Slammer"  |
2011  | Camelot | "The Long Night"  |
"The Battle of Bardon Pass"  |
"Reckoning"  | Co-directed with Stefan Schwartz
2014  | Falling Skies | "Exodus"  |
2015  | Blood & Oil | "The Birthday Party"  |
2015–16  | Powers | "The Raconteur of the Funeral Circuit"  |
"F@#K the Big Chiller"  |
"Caracas, 1967"  |
"Hell Night"  |
"Legacy"  |
2016  | Damien | "Seven Curses"  |
2017  | Six | "Man Down"  |
"Blood Brothers"  |
The Expanse | "The Weeping Somnambulist"  |
"Cascade"  |
Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders | "The Ripper of Riga"  |
2018  | The Brave | "Grounded"  |

#### Miniseries

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Director  | Executive
Producer  | Notes

|
|
|
|

1999  | Aftershock: Earthquake in New York | Yes  | No  |
2001  | Band of Brothers | Yes  | No  | Episodes "Carentan" and "Points"
2004  | Salem's Lot | Yes  | No  |
The Grid | Yes  | No  |
2006  | Fallen | Yes  | No  |
2007  | The Company | Yes  | No  |
2008  | The Andromeda Strain | Yes  | Co-executive  |
2012  | Coma | Yes  | Yes  |
2015  | To Appomattox | Yes  | Yes  |
2017  | The Long Road Home | Yes  | Yes  | Episodes "Into the Unknown", "In the Valley of Death" and "Abandon Hope"

#### TV movies

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Director  | Co-Executive
Producer

|
|
|

2000  | Sole Survivor | Yes  | No
2001  | A Glimpse of Hell | Yes  | No
2002  | Young Arthur | Yes  | No
2003  | Benedict Arnold: A Question of Honor | Yes  | No
2007  | Fallen: The Journey | Yes  | No
2008  | Flirting with Forty | Yes  | No
Natalee Holloway | Yes  | Yes
2010  | Who Is Clark Rockefeller? | Yes  | Yes
The Lost Future | Yes  | Yes
2012  | Drew Peterson: Untouchable | Yes  | Yes
Blue Lagoon: The Awakening | Yes[a] | No
2014  | Big Driver | Yes  | No

1. ^ Co-directed with Eric Bross (credited as "Jake Newsome")

## Awards and nominations

[edit]

Academy Awards

Year  | Category  | Title  | Result

|
|
|

1989  | Best Cinematography | The Abyss | Nominated
1991  | Best Visual Effects | Backdraft | Nominated

American Society of Cinematographers

Year  | Category  | Title  | Result

|
|
|

1989  | Outstanding Cinematography | The Abyss | Nominated

BAFTA Awards

Year  | Category  | Title  | Result

|
|
|

1991  | Best Special Visual Effects | Backdraft | Nominated

Directors Guild of America

Year  | Category  | Title  | Result

|
|
|

2007  | Outstanding Directing in a Movie for a Miniseries | The Company | Nominated
2008  | The Andromeda Stain | Nominated
2010  | Outstanding Directing for a Children's Program | Unnatural History | Nominated

Primetime Emmy Awards

Year  | Category  | Title  | Result

|
|
|

2001  | Outstanding Directing | Band of Brothers | Won
2007  | The Company | Nominated
2008  | Outstanding Limited Series | The Andromeda Strain | Nominated

Other awards

Year  | Award  | Category  | Title  | Result

|
|
|
|

1985  | Danish Film Academy | Robert Award for Best Cinematography | De flyvende djævle[12] | Won
1987  | CableACE Award | Direction of Photography in a Miniseries  | The Man Who Broke 1,000 Chains | Won
2001  | Christopher Television & Cable Award |  | Band of Brothers | Won

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Hollywood.com
2. ^ En travl dag i Los Angeles. Portræt: Mikael Salomon, fotograf. Politiken | 11 January 1994 | 2. sektion | Side 3 |
3. ^ Den danske kong Salomon. Portræt/interview: Mikael Salomon. Politiken | 25 August 1993 | 2. sektion | Side 1
4. ^ Savner hygge og rugbrød. Portræt: Mikael Salomon. Ekstra Bladet | 22 August 1993 | 2. sektion | Side 4
5. ^ Dansker til tops i Hollywood. Portræt af filmfotografen Mikael Salomon. Politiken | 1 January 1990 | 2. sektion | Side 2
6. ^ Succes på strømer. Portræt/interview: Mikael Salomon. Ekstra Bladet | 1 April 1999 | Skærtorsdag | Side 24
7. ^ "The Making of 'The Abyss'". aspaceblogyssey.com. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
8. ^ SEMLYEN, PHIL DE. "A History Of CGI in the Movies". Empire. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
9. ^ "The Abyss: The Ultimate James Cameron Movie?". Den of Geek. Retrieved 1 September 2017.
10. ^ a b Blair September 1989, p. 58.
11. ^ 'No sugarcoating’ as first movie on ’67 battle for Jerusalem takes shape.' Hoffman, Jordan. The Times of Israel. The Times of Israel. Published 9 June 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2017.
12. ^ Piil, Morten (2008). Gyldendals danske filmguide (in Danish) (3rd ed.). Copenhagen, Denmark: Gyldendal. pp. 172–. ISBN 978-87-02-06669-2. OCLC 474736058. Retrieved 24 June 2021.

## External links

[edit]

* Mikael Salomon at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Works directed by Mikael Salomon

Films|

* A Far Off Place (1993)
* Hard Rain (1998)
* Sole Survivor (2000)
* A Glimpse of Hell (2001)
* Young Arthur (2002)
* Benedict Arnold: A Question of Honor (2003)
* Flirting with Forty (2008)
* Natalee Holloway (2009)
* Who Is Clark Rockefeller? (2010)
* The Lost Future (2010)
* Blue Lagoon: The Awakening (2012)
* Freezer (2014)
* Big Driver (2014)

Miniseries|

* Aftershock: Earthquake in New York (1999)
* Salem's Lot (2004)
* The Grid (2004)
* The Company (2007)
* The Andromeda Strain (2008)
* Coma (2012)

* v
* t
* e

Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

1970s|

* Fielder Cook (1971)
* Tom Gries (1972)
* Joseph Sargent (1973)
* John Korty (1974)
* George Cukor (1975)
* Daniel Petrie (1976)
* Daniel Petrie (1977)
* David Lowell Rich (1978)
* David Greene (1979)

1980s|

* Marvin J. Chomsky (1980)
* James Goldstone (1981)
* Marvin J. Chomsky (1982)
* John Erman (1983)
* Jeff Bleckner (1984)
* Lamont Johnson (1985)
* Joseph Sargent (1986)
* Glenn A. Jordan (1987)
* Lamont Johnson (1988)
* Simon Wincer (1989)

1990s|

* Joseph Sargent (1990)
* Brian Gibson (1991)
* Joseph Sargent (1992)
* James Steven Sadwith (1993)
* John Frankenheimer (1994)
* John Frankenheimer (1995)
* John Frankenheimer (1996)
* Andrei Konchalovsky (1997)
* John Frankenheimer (1998)
* Allan Arkush (1999)

2000s|

* Charles S. Dutton (2000)
* Mike Nichols (2001)
* David Frankel, Tom Hanks, David Leland, Richard Loncraine, David Nutter, Phil Alden Robinson, Mikael Salomon and Tony To (2002)
* Steven Schachter (2003)
* Mike Nichols (2004)
* Stephen Hopkins (2005)
* Tom Hooper (2006)
* Philip Martin (2007)
* Jay Roach (2008)
* Dearbhla Walsh (2009)

2010s|

* Mick Jackson (2010)
* Brian Percival (2011)
* Jay Roach (2012)
* Steven Soderbergh (2013)
* Colin Bucksey (2014)
* Lisa Cholodenko (2015)
* Susanne Bier (2016)
* Jean-Marc Vallée (2017)
* Ryan Murphy (2018)
* Johan Renck (2019)

2020s|

* Maria Schrader (2020)
* Scott Frank (2021)
* Mike White (2022)
* Lee Sung Jin (2023)
* Steven Zaillian (2024)

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